More User Reviews:

A: Reddish-brown with a thick slightly brown head that fades quickly though it leaves nice lacing on the glass when swirled. When held to the light, the color becomes Santa Claus red and steady carbonation can be seen.

S: Raisins, cinnamon, malt.

T: Fruity, lots of raisins, floral, and nuts. It reminds me of the noel from Carlous, however, it is not as strong.

M: I expected it to be heavy, yet, it manages to seem decently light. The heavy carbonation plays a role in this not doubt. It becomes creamier towards the finish.

D: Though it is done in the Noel style, which means heavier, darker, more alcohol, and complexity, it still fare well due to the light mouth-feel. Also, the flavors are not as strong or extreme as in some Noels.

Overall: I've been pretty happy with the two Baird beers I have consumed. Flavor is present, however, their beers seem more subtle than American counterparts. I have had quite a few of Hitachino's Nest as well and it seems to be the case with some of their beers as well. It is important to remember that subtle does not mean bad. Indeed, many of these beers seem more elegant because of their restraint. (1,197 characters)

633ml, 6.5% ABV. Celebratory, I assume, for the winter season, one from which we here in Alberta are trying very hard to escape this year...

This beer pours a hazy dark burnt amber colour, with two fingers of creamy, bubbly off-white head, which leaves a low seaward landmass of lace around the glass as it slowly settles.

It smells of sweet caramel malt, slightly metallic cinnamon, ginger, fruity fig (more the earthy sort than our more recognizable Newton), and a mildly fruity citrus zing. The taste is bready malt, pithy citrus and savoury cinnamon, followed by some lesser earthy fruit (hard to say if it's fig or pumpkin from my North American palate), a somewhat funky mustiness, and an increasingly noticeable, but still mostly sedate booze warming.

The carbonation is generally on the low side, and more or less unobtrusive, the body medium weight, and smooth as can be, amongst a pithy, slightly tacky character. It finishes off-dry - a truly level contest amongst restrained autumn vegetables, germ-inclusive sliced bread, and drying alcohol/hop offsets.

As I've spent a number of weeks now forsaking the notion of winter, since, as previously noted, we here have had our fill, my appreciation of this offering may be just a wee bit underwhelming in the proclaimed warming department. That said, I can appreciate the similarity to heartening local offerings, enjoyed back when the snow fell in October(!!!). Shipping time from Japan observed, red tape bullshit satisfied, and bingo, we still have a winner. (1,524 characters)

A--Nice creamy eggshell cap, maybe two fingers, that laces well with excellent retention. The body is a hazy reddish burnt caramel. Looks like the inside of a plum.

S--Pretty straightforward, but not in a bad way. More plummy or raisiny than figgy, I'd say. Just not that rich, but then again, I've never had a Japanese fig. Cinnamon coats the edges of the nose, and warms the fruitiness up. Smells like it will be sweet, with considerable caramel pulling through, too.

T--Oh wow, good winter warmer. The restraint here is welcome. The spiciness is gentle, refined, not whack you over the head with a 2x4. You get, essentially, a wisp of cinnamon that tugs clear through the middle of the profile. Any fig flavor remains subdued, and I'm not getting much in the way of those plums or raisins on the tongue, either, which is a shame. Back end of the flavor profile is essentially a brown ale, with some cocoa powder, nuttiness, and hop bitterness packed in there. Kind of like a Belgian Dark without the esters--take away the clove and medicinal qualities, and you have this beer.

M&D--Both are good. I juiced the drinkability on this because, for a winter warmer, this isn't overly spicy or overly boozy, so you could throw back a few no problem.

Interesting spicy amber/brown take on the winter warmer style, if a bit simple. A little like a stripped down Rare Vos. (1,424 characters)

A dull amber and cloudy brown body giving a faint off white and caramel head with barely two fingers on the pour and no head left to speak of.

Nose is a real pungent brown cinnamon and fruit persimmon. Great mix of persimmon and fig like dark fruit sense, melds nicely with the cinnamon. Feels like a refreshing punch or Asian big soda only bolder.

Palate sort of falls apart. Weak bodied, and not giving much of the flavor hinted from the nose. Watery malt presence doesn't match the sweetness hinted, or give any density either. It's not too bad in feel, but also has a strange faint metallic tinge on the aftertaste.

Overall it's not horrible, but it's not that great either. (731 characters)

From a 633 ml brown bottle, abv. listed as 6.5%. Pours out a deeply hazed dark amber/chestnut hue, with a short creamy off-white head that holds a lengthy retention.

Sweet yet dry malt on the aroma, somewhere between caramel and bready, with mild dry earthy and grassy hops. Very faint spice in the background.

Flavour is dry overall. Wafer-like cocoa malt up front, dark fruit sweetness punctuated with some earthy cinnamon sweetness in the middle, with a bit of a sticky, tart finish and a lingering astringent aftertaste similar to tannin.

A curious twist on the style, I'm assuming it's the Japanese fig added that is providing the more unique characteristic to this. Yet something is definitely contributing to a runaway tannic astringency that is detracting from the overall enjoyment, and lingering on as an unwelcome aftertaste. Aside from that it's quite enjoyable and worth giving a try. (990 characters)

Medium copper pour, respectable lingering film on the top of the beer. Big dark fruit malt on the nose, caramel too. A little astringency in the background. LME and dark fruit in the taste, a bit of cinnamon dryness in aftertaste. Well balanced. Medium light MF, taste doesn't linger much.

As a regular malty ale this is actually pretty good. Easy drinking MF, pleasant not overly powerful malt- makes for a nice strong amber. As a winter warmer though it kind of lacks, as it lacks the usual spicing that I expect from a winter warmer. A good beer none the less, one I would happily make a ready staple of my fridge door were it not for the price ($10/bomber). (662 characters)

Pours a one finger white head that vanishes leaving no lace. Cloudy amber color, some yeast left in bottle. Good carbonation and medium bodied. Malt and faint fig nose and taste is sweet fig and cinnamon. Not cheap at $6.45 for a 12oz bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma. (276 characters)

T - Honey, light cinnamon, figs did come through on the flavor, orange, and sweetened brown rice. There's a Belgian bite to the beer, though I think it's fermented with sake yeast. Candied sugar notes. This reminded me of a sweet dark quad. Very interesting and unique.

D - Highly enjoyable - quaffable in fact. This was a beer I will seek out again, and one that my wife thoroughly enjoyed as well. Splitting a bomber was a good idea, because the sweetness would make multiple glasses a bit much. (1,209 characters)